Welcome to the Musings of an Eccentric Diva. My motto is: Giving Hollyweird movies the finger one movie at a time. Enter at your own risk (insert evil Vincent Price laughter here).

Thursday, August 31, 2006

THE KANG OF R&B: BOBBY BROWN

Bobby Brown was the man 50 grand back in the day. His influence is still felt today with artists such as Omarion, Usher, Chris Brown, and many other imposters. Bobby was the first artist to project that super-sexy, hyper-sexual, dancing machine image that is now a standard amongst R&B males. I remember being so heart-broken when he married Whitney! Whitney was pretty much on point when she said Bobby was the King of Rhythm and Blues (sort of), now poor Bobby is still the King of R&B, just now the R&B stands for reefer and blunts. It's really kind of sad to see the sideshow Bobby has become, his legacy could've been much greater. So today I felt like paying tribute to the Kang himself..Mr. Bobby Brown. I present to you my favorite Bobby Brown video, My Prerogative. ENJOY!

The Eccentric Diva loves Ska music! Real ska, not No Doubt. The Specials were one of the best ska bands ever in my opinion. They were a multicultural group of guys from England. Not only were their songs cool, most of them had a social message. Other cool tracks to check out by The Specials are Racist Friend (1983), Free Nelson Mandela (1984), and Stereotype (1980). This video for A Message To Rudy was created around 1980 and as you will see, it is almost timeless...the fashions and the music do not seem outdated by today's standards.

THE BEST RAP VIDEO EVER: PUBLIC ENEMY-NIGHT OF THE LIVING BASEHEADS 1988

Remember when rap videos had an actual message? Remember when the videos sort of matched what the artist was trying to convey in the song? This video hits the mark in both ways. Not only is it the best rap video ever in my opinion, it is also one of the funniest videos ever. No million dollar budget, no ho's with no clothes, no blinding special effects, no children put into compromising situations...just simply a great video. Public Enemy were and still are the best. The noisy beats, Chuck D's voice, the militant theme..these guys were brilliant. Even the new-found coontastical popularity of Flavor Flav won't tarnish my image of this group. Ah, the good old days!

MOVIE REVIEW: IDLEWILDLast night I took the plunge and braved the "urban" theater to venture out to see Idlewild (see Random Rant: Idlewild post). I will say early on in this post that I'm glad I did.Set in the 1930's, Idlewild is the story of two childhood best friends, Rooster (Antwan "Big Boi" Patton), married father, slick-talking, tough, womanizing, speakeasy performer at a club called "The Church" and Percival (Andre "3000" Benjamin) the sheltered, shy son of a mortician (Ben Vereen). Percival's dad is determined to keep his son under his wing, but Percival's first love is music. He acts out that fantasy by playing piano at The Church in the evenings. The Church is owned and operated by Ace (Faizon Love) and the strong arm of the Church's operation is Spats (Ving Rhames) and his associate Trumpy (Terrence Howard). One night while Rooster is stuck in the back seat of a car after having relations with Ace's main girl Rose (Paula Jai Parker), he witnesses the murder of Spats and Ace at the hands of Trumpy. Since Rooster would be next in line to take over Spats' business ventures, Trumpy extorts and blackmails him. Now here is where we insert the love story...no movie would be complete without one. Percival falls for the mysterious Angel Davenport (the breathtaking Paula Patton). She is hired by Ace to perform at the Church. Percival and Angel have an immediate attraction for one another. She encourages him to pursue his dream of becoming a musician, he encourages her to conquer her stage fright. Together they take the town of Idlewild by storm, edging out popular songstress Taffy (Macy Gray). As their love for one another grows, the tension between Trumpy's crew and Rooster continues to brew. Angel receives a telegram offering her a singing gig in Chicago and encourages Percival to join her. Will he join her? No more spoiler's from me y'all!I will stop here with details from the movie because many have not yet seen this movie and I don't want to give away any more details. I understand there are raging debates over this film. I for one absolutely ENJOYED this movie. For a first-time writer and director (Bryan Barber), I thought he did an amazing job. Some of the plot was predictable at times but it is that way for tons of movies so I will not judge it based on that fact. The cinematography and choreography were stellar. I loved the use of animated characters to detract from the dark details of the film but be advised that this movie is not for children. The costumes were top-notch, award-worthy even. I felt that most of the actors did a fantastic job with the exception of Faizon Love, why people keep casting this guy in movies is beyond me because he is totally not funny. It would have been nice to see Bruce Bruce in the role of Ace IMO. Macy Gray is a great character actress, she may have a better chance at acting than a singing career at this point. Both Andre 3000 and Big Boi gave great performances. I never would have thought Big Boi could pull of being the lead in a film but he proved me wrong. Terrence Howard is always great, never a dull moment from him, and boy is he a treat for the eyes! And so is Ms. Paula Patton, the woman is absolutely gorgeous! The cameos from legends Patti LaBelle, Ben Vereen, and Cicely Tyson were terrific as well.Overall I think Idlewild is a great movie. Not a perfect movie, but still a great film in my eyes. This movie was simply to entertain, I don't think it was made to look that deeply into. A lot of people are complaining about the use of rap in the score...well in the jazz era we did rap...we just didn't call it that. Some refer to it as "call and response". Rap has always been around, it just wasn't considered a true art form until the late 1970's. Cab Calloway, James Brown, Gil Scott-Heron and a few others had been doing a form of rapping in their music way before it had an actual name. In a perfect world I would love to see Idlewild get some form of recognition at this year's Grammy or Oscar awards but I'd been shocked if that were to happen. I can see this film becoming a classic film many years later such as The Cotton Club or The Wiz. Both films were dismissed as garbage upon initial release but are now looked at as classic films. BTW, I LOVED both The Wiz and The Cotton Club.

Narrator Jimmy Logan (James Darrin), a jazz trumpeter spins a strange tale of murder and redemption. While walking along the Black Sea beach in Istanbul, Jimmy spots the body of a beautiful woman washed ashore. He instantly realizes that he and this woman have crossed paths before. Her name is Wanda Reed (Maria Rohm) and she was a frequent visitor to the jazz club where he performed. Wanda had befriended a group of assorted nuts, millionaire Turk Ahmed (Quincy Jones ex-father in law, the great Klaus Kinski haha), fashion photographer Olga (Margaret Lee), and old fart art dealer Percival (Dennis Price). Apparently this crew is into kinky sex games and Jimmy just happened to witness Wanda being involved in one of their exploits. Thinking she is a willing participant, Jimmy leaves the scene. What Jimmy doesn't see is Ahmed plunging a knife into the chest of Wanda and drinking her blood a la Dracula. The game goes too far and Wanda dies.

Conflicted by what he's witnessed, Jimmy flees to Rio De Janiero. There he takes up residence with beautiful sista Rita (Barbara McNair) and he gets his groove back and his will to play again. Rita is also a singer at the club where Jimmy plays (we'll get back to that). One night while jamming at the club, he sees a woman in a white fur coat who looks exactly like the dead Wanda. Each time Wanda appears at the club, her hair is either shorter or longer or sometimes an entirely different color. But the one thing that is always present is that damn fur coat....a fur coat in Rio....yessir! Jimmy becomes obsessed and even falls in love with Wanda against his better judgment. His patient girlfriend Rita tries to understand this relationship and remains for most of the story his shoulder to lean on. In the midst of Wanda and Jimmy's love affair, Wanda is exacting revenge on her killers. She appears to each in a different form, sometimes her hair is short, sometimes it's long or the hair color changes but what is always present is that freaking fur coat. The coat should have a movie of its own I swear haha. Her retribution is sweet because she never actually kills anyone, that's what makes her one bad chica! As Wanda walks away from each "killing" trailing that darn coat , the voice of Rita chimes in singing a line from the title tune of the movie "Venus in Furs will be smiling".....you hear that one line in the movie so much, it just stays with you.... groovy baby! Anyway Jimmy and Wanda leave Rio and return to Istanbul. Jimmy is unaware that Wanda's protagonists are dead. A police inspector comes to question Wanda about the murders and they flee. Here is where Jimmy finds all the answers about Wanda that have been puzzling him. No spoilers from me y'all.

This movie is beautifully shot with dream-like sequences. It has a very surreal scenes that do not make sense but they are so gorgeous, most will ignore the fact that they are senseless. Great shots of Rio's Carnivale in the late 60's. The score is wonderful, I am currently trying to track down a copy of it. It mostly consists of groovy jazz pieces by rock musician Manfred Mann and singing by Barbara McNair, who plays Rita. The 60's hepcat lingo is dated and hilarious at the same time. I would not consider this a horror movie but it is usually listed as one. I would consider it more of a erotic thriller because the blood and gore is minimal. The character Wanda spends about 50% of her time in the movie nude and that's it as far nudity is concerned. The ending is not wrapped into a neat little package and it leaves the viewer to interpret it however they'd like to, some people may be turned off by that. Overall I think this is one swinging film, yeah baby!

RANDOM MUSING: DREAMGIRLThe other night I had a dream about someone who I have not seen or thought about since high school. The dream was crazy ridiculous involving pregnant men...the whole nine (don't ask, ha). Anyhow, the thing that baffled me more than the pregnant man idea was the fact that I was dreaming about someone who I haven't seen or thought about in over 17 years! This has happened to me before, and when it does, I usually will run into that person or hear some news about that person from someone else. This person was not even significant in my life. We knew each other in school and that was about it. Has this ever happened to anyone else? Should I consider a career in Psychic Readings? LOL

RANDOM RANT: IDLEWILDI had so much anticipation about seeing Idlewild this weekend. I had my clothes out, all prepared and ready to go Friday after work. That was until I saw where they were screening the film in my city. My heart sank when I found out it would only be airing at six theaters. All these theaters are in places that attract an "urban" audience such as the Magic Johnson theater chain. I was very disappointed by this. Movies such as Hustle and Flow, ATL, Get Rich or Die Trying were in many more theaters upon their release, therefore these movies were able to reach a wider audience. Is it because the behaviors in these movies are what Americans expectAfrican Americans to do..i.e. rapping, shooting, drug dealing, pimping etc..? When we take a step away from that and try to do something a little different, it is not embraced and supported, sometimes not even by other African Americans. I think we have so much to offer as a culture and I for one, would like to see other aspects of our lives portrayed on the big screen and get the kind of recognition it deserves. So with all that being said, I did not have the opportunity to see Idlewild this weekend. I am going to see it tomorrow because it's discount night at the "urban" theater. I figure if I'm not going to be able to hear and enjoy the movie as I would like to, I may as well get a discount price and free popcorn out of the deal. I don't proclaim to know a whole lot about how movies are distributed. Maybe someone can enlighten me on what the process is. Then maybe I can better understand why this movie is not in more theaters.

Here is a YouTube clip of my favorite song ever..Peg by Steely Dan. Since Steely Dan does not make traditional videos (thank goodness), I found a really cool clip of them performing the song live from 2000. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

The Baby is about a kindly social worker named Ann Gentry. Ann is still grieving her husband's debilitating accident and is residing with her mother in-law. Ann is assigned to the case of the Wadsworth family. The family consists of the domineering mother, two weird but very beautiful adult daughters, and a grown son who is referred to as Baby. Baby (his actual name is never spoken) is a grown man who is forced into mental infancy. He does not walk or speak, wears diapers, and is confined to a "crib". Ann immediately gets wrapped into this family and their madness. Seeing her fondness for Baby, Ann's supervisor warns her that the last social worker to become involved with Baby disappeared without a trace. Ann does not heed the warnings. She is determined to rescue baby because it is apparent that he is being abused. Not only is he forced to live in a mental and physical prison, he is cattle-prodded and sexually abused. In one scene where a baby sitter is hired to care for Baby while his family is away....the sitter decides to do some makeshift "breastfeeding" on Baby. She is caught by the family and beaten within an inch of her life. The mother and sisters are gangsta I tell ya LOL. Ann, along with her mother-in-law's blessing sets out to rescue Baby from his oppressors. She decides to do this at a birthday party given by the family. Now the strangest thing about this film is all the people who are at this party, know about this man being forced to remain a baby but everyone is acting like it's the most normal thing in the world. Ann's kidnapping attempt is thwarted when one of the sisters drug her at the party and ties her up in the basement. It is Baby who helps to rescue her and she and Baby flee off into the night. But once she gets Baby home..the kindly Anne has a few secrets of her own and her REAL motives for wanting Baby in her life are revealed.

Crazy, crazy twist ending. The movie starts off as a melodrama, almost a Movie Of The Week type of deal but then develops into one of the most BIZARRE plot twists I've ever seen. Complete with knives, guns, and folks being buried alive! There is very little nudity here and very little vulgar language. There is also very little gore if any. The most violent scene is at the end of the movie and it's more shocking than it is gory. This is another movie you'll have to see to believe. It's certainly a "Were these people high when they wrote this script" kind of movie.VERDICT: 3 Soul Claps

Remember when R&B girls and rap chicks actually LOOKED like they came from where they said they were from? If you repped the hood, you looked hood but still fly? These ladies looked like someone who lived on your block, someone who you could relate to. I SOOOO wanted a leather outfit just like theirs. I wouldn't be surprised if this look came back into style. You never know, asymmetrical hairstyles, dookie gold chains, and leggings are back. Dapper Dan may need to come out of retirement to make leather MCM suits again haha

I love Asian cinema. The Asians are not afraid to experiment with dark, gory subject matter. That is exactly why Hollyweird is very careful about which Asian films they will choose to butcher..um..remake. The Ring and The Grudge were two such films that are remakes of very popular Asian films (Ringu and Ju-On respectively). Oldboy is one of those films I really don't expect to see a remake of any time soon. At one time there was talk of remake but I think it's been shelved(hooray).

Oldboy is the story of Dae-su, a married father who spends the majority of his time getting drunk and chasing women. On his daughter's birthday he is mysteriously kidnapped from a phone booth by a man with a purple umbrella (no,it ain't Farnsworth Bentley) and locked away in a dingy cell/hotel room with only a bed, a pipe that emits gases that put him to sleep, and a TV to connect him to the outside world. This imprisonment lasts 15 years. While imprisoned, he learns of his wife and daughter's murder via television. He keeps a diary of all his past sins, he vows to seek revenge and fine-tunes his body to become a killing machine.

Upon his release he is approached by several people who give him clothing , a cell phone and clues about his kidnappers and tell him that he has five days to find out who was responsible for all the madness. In a restaurant, A very hungry Dae-su (so hungry he eats a LIVE squid, gross) meets pretty chef Mi-do. He and Mi-do share a mutual attraction instantly and he informs her of what has happened to him in the last 15 years. They embark on a quest to discover exactly why and who would want to cause Dae-Su so much pain and suffering. During their mission they find Dae-Su's childhood buddy who also helps in the quest. On his journey to find the truth Dae-Su fights many battles. When I say prison has turned this man into an animal I mean it. He gouges out eyes and intestines with his bare hands. The scene where a hammer is used as a weapon is priceless, this guy is no joke. Of course, he and Mido fall in love and he will stop at nothing to protect her. Once the kidnapper is revealed that's where the story really unfolds. The kidnapper is a charismatic character named Woo Jin-Lee. He is rich, handsome, and is determined to make Dae-su remember why he would want to harm him. In the interim, Dae-su's childhood buddy is murdered and Mi-do is kidnapped. Dae-su tracks down Woo Jin-Lee and the evil ass bastard starts to remind Dae-su of their past connection. It turns out that they were school mates, hence the name of the movie Oldboys...a reference to what I'm guessing Asian people refer to as schoolmates. Dae-su caught Woo Jin-Lee in avery compromisingpositionwith someone who should have been totally off limits on the school campus. Dae-su in turn told his best friend, the one who was murdered earlier in the story, and the best friend told everyone he knew. This act caused the female counterpart in the compromising position to do the unthinkable and Woo Jin-Lee never forgave Dae-su for telling their secret. Woo Jin-Lee has spent his entire life grieving and plotting his revenge against Dae-su for a childhood rumor, one that was absolutely true in the first place. As Dae-su is on his knees pleading for the safe return of Mi-do, the cruel, callous Woo Jin-Lee laughs in his face. He then begins to tell him the truth about Mi-do and this my friends is where The Eccentric Diva cried a bucket of tears. The performance by Dae-su made me want to get on my knees and beg for mercy with this man. Dae-su then commits one more brutal act as his way of "apologizing" for his "sins". No spoilers from me y'all(I did give you a little), the rest you'll have to see for yourself.

The performances in this movie are stellar. The man who played Dae-su should have won some sort of award for his performance. The evil Woo Jin-Lee makes David Koresh look like Santa Claus. The cinematography is absolutely breathtaking. This movie is not for the squeamish. Under the dark cloud of the subject matter, there is some underlying humor to it. It contains brutality, gore and incest, but little or no nudity. It is also subtitled, which a lot of people have trouble following.

Ah what a great song! This tune was so simple and pure, and that was the beauty of it . The melody and the lyrics are timeless. I remember buying this twice because I wore out the first 45 (that was a record for all you youngins) because I played it so much! Spandau Ballet had other great songs but this one I think was their best IMO.

RANDOM RANT OF THE DAYMy rant for today is co-workers. For the most part I come into work, do my job, work out on lunch breaks, visit my favorite blog,Crunk and Disorderly, and then go home. I have no interest in office politics. If it were not bad social etiquette, I'd keep my office door shut. I don't want to hear the latest office gossip of who's leaving the company, who's getting married or divorced, who's sleeping together, who might be fired and other assorted gossip. I don't want to see 50,000 new pictures of your children, grandchildren and pets. No, you cannot borrow my CD's and I don't want to hear your new Best of Lawrence Welk CD's either. I don't care to know what you are having for lunch and no, I don't want to discuss what I'm eating for lunch. I don't want to hear your opinions of the last episode of Project Runway. I don't want to try your new recipe, how do I know if you wash your hands or let your cat lick out of the mixing bowl? No, I don't want to hook up with you and the crew after work, I spend 8+ hours a day with y'all.....why prolong my torture? And last but not least, I don't want you forwarding your tired ass jokes, internet hoaxes, good luck chain letters etc.. to my inbox!!!! Believe it or not, I actually ENJOY the majority of the people I work with...but from a distance. I just like to keep my work and private life separate. If a person approaches me on the job about non work-related issues, for the most part, I really don't want to hear it!! I'm never mean or cruel to anyone but it is hard to keep a false smile in order not to hurt anyone's feelings. As they are blabbing away about their personal stories, my mind is screaming "JUST GO AWAY DAMN"! Outside of work I'm open and enjoy meeting new people, but work is a separate issue...the two never shall meet.

Antonio Fargas is one of those great character actors who to this date has never really gotten a starring role. His looks and swagger are totally unforgettable. In the 70's this man was certainly busy, he was in close to 30 film and tv roles, including his recurrent and best known role as Huggy Bear on Starsky and Hutch. One of his more memorable roles is from the movie I'm Gonna Git You Sucka as Flyguy, the pimp with the fishtank shoes. I still can't watch that scene without bursting a gut! He is one of the few 70's era actors who continue to work steadily to this date. He can be seen in a recurring role on Everybody Hates Chris as Mr. Harris and in various on and off Broadway productions.

RANDOM MUSINGWhile preparing for work this morning, I watched the local access cable channel which features a Crimestoppers program for wanted criminals. During this program, they play popular 80's songs while they flash pictures of criminals and the crimes they are accused of. This morning they played Abracadabra by The Steve Miller Band. If you are not familiar with the song, the main chorus of the song is: "Abra, abra, cadabra.....I wanna reach out and grab ya". The last thing this Eccentric Diva wants to hear is a criminal saying "I wanna reach out and grab ya".Just a thought...

GUESS WHO'S BIZZACK?This fall one of most 70's fashionista's staple items, Jordache Jeans, will be launching a new line of clothing this year. From what I understand the new line will be sold by exclusively at Macy's Department store. Prices of the jeans and jackets will be about $79 dollars. Not bad considering there are other hot brands such as True Religion and Hudson which will set you back about $200 or more.... hell, $79 is a steal!!! I hope this go around the design and fit of these Jordache jeans will be better than the ones we had in the late 70's. I'm not in a rush to see folks looking like this again. Flapjack asses are not tha bidness.

ER'BODY IN THE CLUB GETTING TIPSY(except me)This Eccentric Diva has a lot of vices but drinking isn't one of them. I do not drink at all. The smell or taste of alcohol sends me running to pray in front of that porcelain god. I've always considered myself an oddball on this issue since I've met very few people who don't drink ANY alcoholic beverages. So with that being said, I don't know what it feels like to be drunk or tipsy. From what I gather, most people don't remember what happened once they've recovered from drunkenness, but most have a pretty clear head when they are just "tipsy". Can someone describe in words to me what it feels like to be tipsy or if possible, drunk? From what I've seen in regards to drunkenness, it's not a pretty sight and I couldn't image wanting to repeat the experience but some folks do night after night.DISCLAIMER: I do not have a problem with people who drink. I find there's nothing wrong with it unless you're driving while drunk.

I lurves this darn bag! It's called the Fendi Spy Satchel. I love the rich chocolate color and texture of it. I love the handles. I'm a sucker for a big bulky bag! But this baby will set the checking account back $1300! That's a hell of a lot of money for a purse. As I sat lusting over this bag I asked myself "even if I had $1300 in free money to spend, would I actually need a $1300 bag"? I still can't answer that question. In your present life, how much are you willing to spend for a purse? In your fantasy life, how much would you spend for a purse? In my present life $300 is as much as I'm willing to pay for a bag and that's not on a regular basis. I like good quality leather bags and have found some great deals on high-end bags through EBAY and other sites. I welcome the fellas to answer this as well because the men of today carry designer messenger bags and briefcases.

MOVIE REVIEW: Darktown Strutters 1975Darktown Strutters is the story of 3 black biker sistas Syreena, the lead gang member, Miranda and Theda. These are not your ordinary biker chicks, these chicks and their motorcycles are more fabuloustic than Farnsworth. The motorcyles they ride are like no other you've ever seen, complete with glitter. When I say FAB I mean it. The girls themselves..well just imagine Labelleon motorcyles and you'll get my drift. The costumes featured in this film are so fabulous and over the top, even for a movie made in the 70's! Back to the film. The premise of the film is that Syreena's mom Cinderella (no joke) is missing and the girls are on a mission to find her. They enlist the help of a group of rag-tag biker dudes led by Mellow (played by the great Roger E. Mosely). Syreena pays a visit to her "Karate Master" brother but he too has no clue of what happened to Mom. On their journey to find mom they run into some of the most cartoonishly racist Keystone-like Cops I've ever seen on film. One cop is supposedly so fat he has trouble getting through doors, another is a crossdressing, blackface wearing nutbag who is in search of a rapist who is preying on "nigger faggots". No need for anyone to get offended, these cops are so stupid and over the top I guarantee you'll laugh your asses off at them. While on the hunt for mom they run into pimps, hoes, and every other crazy being you can think of.One of the ho's from the stable directs Syreena to the home of The Black people's champion, Colonel Louisville Cross, a dead-ringer for Colonel Sanders who owns a string of rib joints called Sky Hog where the motto is "With every bucket you get a free slice of watermelon".The Colonel's..um... home is basically a plantation complete with a cotton field out front and servants dressed as Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben. Hell the servants even serve up big giant ass pancakes. He also has his own minstrel show at his disposal that will perform upon his command. You see, ol Colonel is a the equivalent of the Grand Dragon of the KKK behind closed doors. Syreena confronts the Colonel about her mom and the Colonel confesses as to what his real operation is: A Nigger Cloning Machine that he refers to as Annie. He is kidnapping folks to make duplicates of them. The sight of the Colonel wearing a silver lame cape with ears attached to the hood, silver boots and booty shorts is so divinely ridiculous. I swear I can't make this shit up! One of the best parts of this movie is the performance by the Dramatics singing their signature song "What You See Is What You Get" from a glittery jail cell, complete with matching glittery costumes. Too freaking funny man I swear. Will Syreena be able to save her mom Cinderella from the evil clutches of the Colonel? Will the Colonel trap Syreena and make lovely duplicates of her? No spoilers from me y'all.

This film is so hard to review because it's one of those films that you must actually see to believe. Even after hearing about it for so long, I still was not prepared for what I saw. The subject matter in this movie was WAY ahead of its time and pretty smart considering its subject matter. It deals with abortion, cloning and racism. The costumes for this movie were outstanding, my inner drag queen was certainly satisfied while watching this movie. The lead actress who played Syreena, Trina Parks, is one of the most gorgeous sistas to ever grace the screen and did a damn fine job with such wacky subject matter. There is absolutely NO nude body parts, gore, or extremely foul language used in this film so its suitable for everyone unless you find the use of the word "nigger" offensive. The best way I can describe this movie is "a ghetto cartoon come to life". I laughed so hard my tummy was sore after watching this

GREEN TOMATOESYippie it is now August! I love August for two reasons: 1. The damn kids go back to school2. The influx of green tomatoes I receive.I just LOVE fried green tomatoes!!! For some reason August is the month that the tomato plants are ready for picking. I'm not sure why but my gardening folks may shed some light on that since gardening ain't my thing, I just reap the benefits haha. I have several folks on Green Tomato Watch for me. My mom gets a steady supply from the folks on her job...she keeps me supplied all the way through the end of September (I luv ya girl), my daughter would steal them from people's garden for me but I made her stop (bad girl), and my mother-in-law just hooked a sista up with some, even cut them up for me....super-thin just the way I like them (good looking out). Some folks prefer to coat them with flour and some prefer cornmeal...I like a mixture of the two but just plain old Gold Medal flour will do for me. There is nothing in the world like eating a hot, fried green tomato fresh out of the grease! Hell I've already eaten half of them before I'm finished frying the batch! Are there any more fried green tomato folks in the house?

MOVIE REVIEW:Blood Sucking Freaks 1976There comes a time when a movie is so over the top even this eccentric diva is "shook". I've seen a lot of of freaky, gory shit in my time..and believe me y'all I watch TONS of films when I allot time for it. But THIS movie takes the cake. It has even taken me a couple of days to write a review on it because I had trouble trying to convey what I saw on screen into words. Let me present you with Blood Sucking Freaks. The central characters in this film are Master Sardu and his crazed midget sidekick Ralphus, who's a dead ringer for John Oates from Hall and Oates. Master Sardu runs an off-Broadway theater which features live acts of torture, murder, and any other despicable act you can think of. The unaware audience believes that is all staged, but fear you not my dear friends..the "performers" are really being murdered. The performers are mostly women who have been kidnapped by lil Ralphus and held in a cage like animals who live off raw meat. Master Sardu's sideline gig where he makes the real coins is in white slavery..those who don't...um..perform are sold (lucky for them). Sardu is also heavily into S&M and in between shows, he likes to spend his time being beaten into oblivion by two gorgeous, nude sistas. The plot thickens when Sardu's staunchest critic, Creasy Silo tells him his show is crap and that he refuses to give the show any type of review. Sardu has Mr. Silo kidnapped and chained in his basement of horrors. And oh what horrors take place in this basement. Naked women are used as human dartboards, tables, body parts are chopped off as "prizes" in a twisted game of chess, sex with a corpse, oral sex with a decapitated head and brains being sucked out with a drinking straw. There is a "doctor" who visits the basement and performs "operations", trust me kiddos..this scene will make you give your dentist the "side eye". Basically the basement is a pleasure palace for sick muthafuckas. Sardu and Ralphus are like the Johnny Carson and Ed MacMahon of horror...they do these evil acts with such glee. Ralphus even has a signature dance that he does before and after he kills. This is a horror-comedy people trust me, I laughed and was completely horrified at the same time. Back to the film, Sardu's reason for the kidnapping of Creasy Silo is to make him watch and participate in his next masterpiece, a horror-ballet. To complete this mission, he kidnaps famous lead ballerina, Natasha D'Natalie who was in his audience the night the critic was there. Once trapped in the bowels of the basement of horrors, Natasha proves to be a strong-willed chickee who will not be taken in so easily. After a series of killings are performed in front of her, Natasha finally gives in and lets Master Sardu take control of her mind and body. Meanwhile, Natasha's boyfriend Tom, a star football player, is out on the hunt for his ladyfriend. He enlists the help of shady Detective Tucci, who is nuttier than a can of Planter's Peanuts his damn self. Natasha's performance in the horror-ballet is "killer" to say the least. Will Tom and Det. Tucci rescue Natasha or become victims themselves? Will sick ass Sardu and Ralphus meet the fate they so deserve? No Spoilers from me y'all. The ending scene is so fucking over the top...I'll just say that if you watch it you may never look at a hotdog the same way again. The gore in this film is for the most part, very unrealistic so I really can't say that this not for the squeamish. Some of the acts that are committed in the film may not be suitable for all because it features various forms of brutality. Oh yeah...there is tittays and unshaved coochies a plenty. Eli Roth, the writer and director of Hostel has said this movie was his inspiration and there are various scenes from Blood Sucking Freaks that prove it.

MOVIE REVIEW: Frightmare II 1974Frightmare II is the story of two sisters. Jackie, the older sister and Debbie, the younger, wilder sister. Jackie is in charge of raising her younger sister after their parents were placed in jail for 15 years for acts of cannibalism. The father is the sire of both girls, the mother is Debbie's natural-born mother and Jackie's stepmother. Jackie is determined to keep the actual nature of why their parents were imprisoned a secret to Debbie. Debbie actually believes her parents are deceased. In actuality, Dad was only guilty of accessory since he did not actually partake in the people-munching party as his wife did. Ol mom takes "eating out" to a whole new low haha. Once they are released Ma and Pa Canibal reside in an old, creepy farmhouse on the outskirts of town. Jackie becomes concerned when Debbie begins hanging around with a tough street gang. A murder ensues but the body has disappeared and well guessy guessy who was involved? It seems as though little old Debbie has some secrets of her own. In the meantime, Jackie tries to keep the peace in the family by having secret visits with her parents and tries to ward off her stepmom's crazy ass hunger by bringing her some..well.."special" parcels. Dad swears mom has been cured of her hunger but has she? Will bratty-ass Debbie inherit the curse? No spoilers from me y'all! Slightly gory with a really dark atmosphere, not for the faint of heart. This is a British-made film. Great surprise ending here.VERDICT: 3 Soul Claps

MOVIE REVIEWSAs stated in the first blog entry I will be adding film reviews to this blog spot. Some will be of new films but most will probably be older films. Some you may want to see after I review them and some you may just ask yourself "Is this woman out of her mind" and the answer is YES haha. If a movie is described as weird, wild, or gory....you best believe I wanna see it. Hollyweird bores me to tears with their happy endings, bogus love stories and car chases. I like to see life from a different point of view. My rating system will consist of "Soul Claps". 4 soul claps means that I loved the film and would highly recommend it. 1 or no soul clap means don't waste your fucking time or money.

Recently I joined the revolution and signed up for Netflix. I decided to take them up on their free trial offer just to be able to view their entire film library. I must say I am quite impressed with the content they have. This eccentric diva loves movies that are a little off the beaten path and Netflix delivers the goods. They have movies that you won't find in your local Blockbuster or Hollywood video. Not to mention the idea of not paying late fees appeals to me. I signed up and ordered a movie on Wednesday, it was at my house by Saturday (impressive). There are no shipping fees to pay when you send the movie back. I have yet to watch the movie I've ordered but when I do I will review it in this blog. Prior to signing up for Netflix, I was buying hard-to-find movies off EBAY and other websites. A great number of the films I bought I would either not like or just would not be something I'd watch again. I have a pretty extensive film library and really don't need anymore unless it's just something I feel I NEED to own. So far, so good y'all. Does anyone else have Netflix? Tell me your thoughts on this service.

TO WEAVE OR NOT TO WEAVE: THAT IS THE QUESTIONI LOVE hair! Hair has been a passion of mine since I was a little girl torturing Barbie-Doll heads(I know some of y'all had one). I love real hair, fake hair, natural hair, permed hair, short hair, long hair..just HAIR dammitt!!! In one of my observations at a restaurant visited mostly by Black's recently, for some reason my bored ass counted the number of women who were wearing their own locks. Now out of 20 women who were waiting for their meals, only about 5 were wearing their real hair. The next day I went to another spot and did the same count and the ratio was pretty much the same. Don't get it twisted, this chickadee has and will out of sheer boredom and in between salon visits will wear a wig, ponytail, etc.. but on the everyday, I wear my hair. For many years I would not be caught dead without my faux hair. It was part of my identity and people knew that I would change my hair style in a heartbeat. The YT people reveled in the idea that they didn't know what the hell I would step into the office looking like on Monday morning...Grace Jones one minute, Chaka Khan the next (thanks Whodini LOL). Then one day I looked at the damage I was doing to my hair and said enough is enough. I decided to ditch the everyday weaves in favor of my own hair. My hair and scalp has thanked me ever since. It's healthy, shiny, and strong. I know longer have bald patches to cover (a la Brandy). I see SO many sistas wearing weaves that it just amazes me. I know a Black woman's hair is her crowning glory, and weaves have become a requisite part of fashion but why so many? My question to you all is what is your perspective on wearing weaves? Please note that I am not against weaves, I say do you..whatever it is you do is alright with me.

GHETTO NURSERY RHYMES*highjacked from my Myspace page*I usually don't listen to commercial radio. It is polluted with garbage and artists who actually deserve the airtime don't get it. I try to ignore it but it's inevitable. I hear it in the gym, I hear it in other folk's cars, I hear it in the beauty salon etc... and so on. But I must rant about some things I've heard recently. What's this new trend regarding "ghetto nursery rhymes"? Are we a culture so devoid of any human deceny that we will degrade a song targeted to children? The 2 songs I am referring to in particular are Young Joc's "I Know You See It" and some other crappy ass song called "Does Your Chain Hang Low". Both of these little dirty ditty's are based on children's nursery rhymes. Now instead of our black children singing songs about the innocence of youth, they will now be chanting about "chewing on body parts like bubblegum" or "how low someone's chain is hanging". I usually turn a blind eye to all the C-rap music that we're being forced-fed, but this is a little too hard to ignore. At what point will we stop? Will there be a chopped and screwed version of "Go Tell It On The Mountain"? Will they change the lyrics of "We Shall Overcome" to "We Shall Cum On You"? We are selling ourselves short people, we are capable of much better than this. Trust and believe this shit will never be played in my house...and hopefully my little one will never have to hear it anywhere else.

Ha! My first entry into blogosphere! I don't know what in the hot diggity hell I'll talk about but this blog will mainly be centered around ME! There is no greater subject on Earth (sarcasm people). I think my main focus will be about myself i.e. my likes, dislikes, rants, raves, and just random thoughts. I will also add my reviews of movies and music. Not all reviews will be of newly released materials but they may be new to me. My focus will be on the weird, the strange, and the random things that are happening in our world. That's the type of person I am...weird, strange, and random (smirk). I can guarantee you that most things I review will not be of the mainstream, since I don't really do or buy anything mainstream. When I say mainstream, I speak of the images that are shoved down our throats all day, every day. I'm tired of that and I know others are too. So if you wanna join me on a fun and quirky ride, check back often.Peace